• Jafar Panahi
• Palme d'or

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS: JAFAR PANAHI TAKES TOP PRIZE WITH “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”

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  CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks
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• 2 min read

The 78th Cannes Film Festival has come to a close, with Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi taking home the prestigious Palme d’Or award for his revenge thriller “It Was Just an Accident.” Panahi, who has been banned from leaving Iran for over 15 years, was presented the award by Cate Blanchett and received a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd. In his acceptance speech, Panahi emphasized the importance of freedom in his country, saying, “Let us join forces. No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.” He concluded his speech with a message of hope, saying, “Let’s continue to hope.” The win marks a significant milestone for Panahi, who has made films clandestinely in Iran despite facing imprisonment and house arrest. “It Was Just an Accident” was inspired by Panahi’s experience in jail and follows a group of former prisoners as they weigh whether or not to kill the man who terrorized them. The film’s win extends a remarkable streak for indie distributor Neon, which has backed the last six Palme d’Or winners, including “Parasite” and “Anora,” both of which won Best Picture at the Oscars. Other notable winners at the festival include: The festival’s closing ceremony was marked by a major power outage that struck southeastern France, which police suspected was arson. However, power was restored just hours before the stars began streaming down the red carpet.